One secondary casualty of this week’s Cambridge Analytica story has been the reputation of the BBC’s once-mighty Newsnight. On the evening Channel 4 News aired the first instalment of its hidden-camera scoop, Newsnight carried a recorded interview with Cambridge Analytica CEO Alexander Nix. As many noted on social media, interviewer Emily Maitliss politely allowed Nix to robustly defend all the crimes that he had been seen boasting about three hours earlier. It was a disaster for the Beeb’s flagship news show and, by extension, for the BBC itself.

The usual questions about BBC budgets and charters will doubtless be raised in due time, but the bigger point here is Channel 4 News’ ascendency. Former Newsnight anchor James O’Brien recently quit the show because, he said, the venerable ideals of objective reporting, balance and right to reply didn’t work in a time when we know that we're being manipulated and misled on serious issues by media-trained hucksters.

The Channel 4 team, led by Jon Snow, Krishnan Guru Murthy and Cathy Newman, has however shifted to meet that change. Tactically they use key moments from the show across all media to drive audiences to the TV show, and the rather elegant website. Tonally, the presenters are openly sceptical and challenging without resorting to showy Paxman-like rudeness; the slightly-weary-yet-personable-eyerolling-weariness of Snow, Guru-Murty and Newman captures our feelings about politicians better than any other presenters or journalists at the moment.

The lesson is simple. Old-fashioned objectivity and balance have become a bit outdated, somehow; far better, in 2018, to have a point of view, and be honest about it.

Even now that it seems to have persuaded the terminally gullible to take part in a massive annual fight over cheap televisions and discounted fashion accessories, it seems incredible that such an obvious dreamt-up racket could be transplanted from the malls of America to Britain. And it still feels like the deluge of adverts, crap in-store promotions and TV news stories feels out of proportion to how much most people really care.

This year it’s been the spam that I’ve really noticed; as I write, a rising tide of unwanted emails is currently overwhelming my inbox, and the brands sending them would seem less tawdrily desperate if their CEO were currently on my doorstep in fancy dress pleading with me to accept a personal BOGOF offer.

I would say I can’t wait for it to be over, but with most of them now stretching it out (“Black Five Days” etc etc GIVE ME STRENGTH) it rather feels as if it never will be.

There's no doubt that the middle-classes are mostly behind the junior doctors, and one reason is that we recognise the work-politics.

Clearly the doctors have an idiot, bulls***ing boss trying to “restructure” in ways that won't work, but will make everyone worse off. Who hasn't been there? It's a defining aspect of working life, so the idea of someone taking a stand is immensely appealing.

Increasingly it feels like a symbolic stand against injustice we can all rally round; it has all the hallmarks of the 1984-5 miners strike, with fewer tricky arguments about economics.

However, compared with the 80s miners, the middle classes are still getting the hang of this militancy business, and so in a very supportive way, we'd like like to make the following suggestions.

Shrink the badgesCall us superficial, but MCs like their badges small and tasteful, not saucer-size. Make them too big and they'll be put somewhere discreet, not on the chest where they need to be

Get a sloganRemember Coal Not Dole? That was a memorable, assertive rallying cry. “I support the Junior Doctors” is very clear, of course, but not really something to bring folk to the barricades

Be horrible about Jeremy Hunt more oftenIt helps to have an enemy, and we all hate him because he reminds us of the worst boss we ever had. Sod not wanting to get into personalities, and get cracking on the effigies

Be more conciseThe JDs are so good at explaining patiently and reasonably that their message can get lost. Be angry! We won't mind! In fact we'll really like it! Especially if there's also a good badge.

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